Jeremy Hsieh, Alaska Public Media - Anchorage
Jeremy Hsieh covers Anchorage with an emphasis on housing, homelessness, infrastructure and development. Reach him at jhsieh@alaskapublic.org or 907-550-8428. Read more about Jeremy here.
Anchorage bus system apologizes to riders for canceled trips amid driver shortage
Lots of employers in Alaska and nationally are hurting for workers with commercial driver’s licenses.
Alaska emergency officials investigate why Saturday’s tsunami phone alerts went beyond targeted areas
Earthquakes in 2018 and 2020 also led to urgent tsunami phone alerts well beyond the intended audience.
Anchorage Assembly OKs pilot campground for homeless residents
But it’s still unclear whether the city has the time, staff and money to establish the camp by the end of the summer.
Can Anchorage clear homeless camps? Here’s where lawyers and the courts stand.
With shelter space full, Anchorage officials continue to tread lightly around how and when they will clear unsanctioned homeless encampments.
This former Anchorage hotel is weeks away from reopening as permanent, low-income housing
It’s been the subject of local controversies and shifting plans since the city bought it in 2020.
2 Anchorage Assembly members want to encourage more affordable housing with a dramatic zoning rewrite
“Affordable housing solves all our problems,” said Assembly member Kevin Cross.
In reversal, Anchorage halts its clearing of Mountain View homeless camps
The city’s court filing says it initially acted on the camps neighboring JBER because it thought the military wanted them cleared – but never actually nailed down the military’s position.
Solstice concert organizers pledge donations to Anchorage’s lead homelessness nonprofit
The music festival inadvertently led the city to displace homeless campers. Now, the concert organizers are giving back.
Anchorage’s Third Avenue residents brace for a third wave of campers
The city doesn’t have enough shelter space for the soon-to-be-displaced campers, which leaves a large vacant lot at the edge of downtown as a likely space people will resettle.
Anchorage green financing program closes biggest deal to date
The C-PACER program helps finance energy efficiency upgrades for commercial properties, like the former Aviator Hotel downtown.
Anchorage Mayor Bronson picks permanent chief of staff, fifth of his tenure
Mario Bird has served in the position in an acting capacity since April.
Will Alaska lawmakers override Gov. Dunleavy’s public school funding veto? Probably not.
The House minority leader says things could change as school districts reckon with the veto’s impact on their budgets for the coming school year.
High-ranking Alaska National Guard officer arrested on domestic violence assault charges
Prosecutors say Brig. Gen. Wayne Don's latest arrest violates conditions of a deal struck after another incident involving his wife from November.
Anchorage taxpayers will pay full bill for homeless shelter contracting failure
The city’s new municipal attorney vows her office won’t allow a mistake like this to happen again.
Is Anchorage buying into the latest push to improve services and shelter for the homeless?
Turnout was thin at a recent series of town halls on shelter concepts, and a goal to open a new shelter with higher standards by Nov. 1 is slipping.
Anchorage’s bureaucratic seesawing is pushing people out of this camp — at least for a few weeks
Civil rights lawyers are fighting the clearing of the campsites in and around Cuddy Family Midtown Park ahead of an outdoor music festival.
Anchorage Assembly lukewarm on proposal to sanction camps for homeless population this summer
Felix Rivera, the Assembly’s lead on homelessness issues, expects a close vote on a scaled back version of the proposal.
Campsites around Midtown Anchorage park will be cleared starting June 6
It's the first major camp abatement of the year in Anchorage. Many questions remain about where and when people can set up camps with shelter space full.
Anchorage task force recommends opening supervised campsites for the homeless
The task force also calls for community council input, buying emergency shelters and requesting that state and private landowners sponsor additional camps.
Anchorage lawyers are working on a policy to clarify when the city will enforce no-camping rules
Inaction so far this year on clearing encampments stems in part from an Assembly policy call, and in part from legal paralysis around a court decision.